Don’t Lose Your Data: The Cloud Is More Reliable Than You Think

We get it: It’s hard to give up control. There’s something comforting about having all your files and business software living right in your office, on your own server. Sure, it’s expensive and probably takes up most of your IT department’s time. But if you want to safeguard your data and protect your business tools from hacking, theft, or deletion, who can you trust besides yourself?

Well, honestly? You’re probably not only holding yourself back, but there’s a good chance you’re actually making yourself more vulnerable to data loss and downtime, too. The cloud is a lot more reliable than you might think.

In many business organizations, there remains a lot of resistance to cloud adoption. Part of that could be fear or change (“that’s the way we’ve always done it!”) or a (mistaken) impression that things that “aren’t broken” don’t need fixing or improvement. Part could be insecurity about staffing (“some people might lose their jobs or prestige”). Often, there are fears about whether having key files and software hosted and maintained remotely will make you more vulnerable to invasions of privacy or data loss through theft or failure.

So, what about those concerns about cloud reliability? Let’s actually back up first and talk about whether your own, owned systems are really as secure as you think they are.

Do you have any backup servers? Where are they located? What happens if your primary server fails or data becomes corrupted? If your office loses power? If an employee accidentally deletes critical information? If all your files and software are living on one server—and something happens to the server—the best-case scenario might be hours (or days) of downtime before you can restore operational capacity. The worst-case scenario is losing everything, permanently. You may feel that hosting everything local gives you “control,” but that’s often an illusion. If and when disaster strikes, you’ll realize just how little control you really have.

On the flipside, any cloud service provider worth their salt is going to have multiple redundant services in multiple geographic locations, and they’re going to back up your data on a routine basis. In other words, even if a cataclysmic disaster destroys an entire data center, a critical security breach occurs, or any other problem (from mundane to extreme) occurs, your cloud provider will probably be able to get you back up and running with minimal loss of data or downtime.

We won’t completely sugar-coat it: especially in larger organizations, adopting cloud services for storage and computing, probably will change the workflow and needs of your IT team. But the other fears are unfounded, and the alternative—sticking with what you have—is usually far worse. At best, it may mean a slow erosion of your profitability and competitiveness. At worst, it could become so onerous that you’ll have to make cuts company-wide, or even completely outsource your IT operations.

For most businesses, at least partial migration of key systems and files to cloud storage and cloud computing services is going to reduce costs, boost efficiency, improve reliability, and protect against risk. Yes, there will be some changes. Not everyone may be happy about it at first. But with the proper planning, implementation, and training, you’ll come out on the other side healthier, with less time and expense dedicated to propping up your infrastructure and more time, energy, and brain power to devote to your core business.

That planning, implementation, and training is a big part of what we provide at TelDesigns. With dozens of providers and services available, choosing the right cloud services and using them properly can be a daunting challenge for an outsider. We make it easy, working with you closely to figure out what you need and how you can get the most out of it. Learn more at teldesigns.com, give us a call today at (616) 965-2030, and connect online:

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